Trainyard Review

By , on June 21, 2010


Trainyard
  • Publisher: Matt Rix
  • Genre: Education
  • Released: 10 Jun, 2010
  • Size: 7.7 MB
  • Price: $0.99
Download on the AppStore
5 out of 5

PROS

  • Complex puzzle designs.
  • Clean interface design with experiment friendly UI.
  • Very challenging later levels - but community help is always on hand.

CONS

  • Overly extended tutorial section.

VERDICT

Trainyard is as fully featured as a puzzle fan could want without the addition of a level editor and best of all you get to share your genius solutions with others - what a handy idea!


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

Trainyard by Matt Rix is the sort of gem of a title that would have passed me by if it wasn't for a keen-eyed subscriber. So first things first - this is a shout out to all of our readers and subscribers, thanks for all of your support! Now for those after a great new puzzle title, look no further as Trainyard is almost as good as it gets.

Your goal is to ensure that all of your colored trains end up in the correct station. Things quickly start to get more complicated as multiple trains need to be merged in to a single station, or even more confusing, single trains being split up in to multiple stations. Each of the 100+ puzzles has multiple solutions, so you're rarely left in the dark searching for that one perfect combination. Experimentation is encouraged as tracks can be drawn almost in a free-form fashion, with undo, erase and shake to clear controls also helping to correct errors.

The game's visuals are clean and modern with a dark style that's offset by the multi-colored vehicles, however color-blindness is not currently supported, but should be added soon in an update. Multiple solutions for puzzles can be saved, while a 'second player' is supported to allow friends to have a go without ruining your progress. Solutions can be updated to the Trainyard website where other players can view them in real-time.

While the tutorial may be a bit heavy handed, Matt Rix is hoping to streamline this section while adding more tracks in the future as a free update. A must have for all puzzle fans.

Screenshots

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